John F. Brinson: State of our union is not very good

February 23, 2013

The union is in a sad state. Most of our problems can be traced to too many laws that are not enforced, too many regulations that are enforced, and our hopelessly inept and corrupt government, addicted to spending money it doesn't have. Plus, there is a blatant disregard for our founding document, the Constitution.

Our president has very limited powers under the Constitution. The president's primary duties are these: he is commander-in-chief of the armed forces; he is chief executive and charged with managing our government agencies; he can make treaties and appointments, including most importantly to the Supreme Court, with the advice and consent of the Senate.

All other powers and duties are the responsibility of Congress, and therein lies the key to the declining state of the union. Congress has failed to limit the president to his role outlined in the Constitution, and members of Congress have failed to limit themselves to the powers granted to them by the Constitution. I am not blaming any particular individual congressman. It is the institution that is to blame.

Increasingly, presidents have usurped powers belonging to Congress alone, without its consent or objection, to the extent that we now have an imperial presidency, ruling omnipotently through executive orders. Consider President Obama, who said, "If Congress won't act, I will."

This is indeed a sad state of affairs, and it is much worse when we see how Congress and the courts ignore the clear language of our Bill of Rights. Here are a few examples:

•First Amendment: We now have laws abridging freedom of religion (for example, Obamacare).

•Second Amendment: We now have laws infringing the right of the people to possess and carry arms.

•Fifth Amendment: We are now subject to double jeopardy, for example by calling a murder a civil rights violation and trying the case in another court. We are compelled to testify against ourselves through a grant of immunity. We are deprived of private property through so-called civil asset forfeiture. Also, our private property can be taken for use by other private owners.

•Tenth Amendment: Powers reserved to the states and to the people are usurped by the U.S. government.

If it seems to you that we are no longer free, you are right. We must fight back before we become mere subjects, answering to the whims of the president, the Congress and the courts.

Meanwhile, what is the state of the union? Our borders are open to floods of illegal immigrants, criminals and enemies such as members of al-Qaida. Our military is being downsized, leaving us open to intimidation by other countries that see our weakness and disarray. Our national debt exceeds our national income. Our federal, state and local governments are spending a combined 45 percent, almost half, of our national income. Our federal government is borrowing more than 30 cents of every dollar it spends.

Look at it this way: If your income is $26,000, would you or could you borrow $12,000 so you could spend $38,000, when your credit card debt is already $170,000? Multiply each number by 1 million, and that's exactly what the federal government is doing. What will happen when we can no longer borrow? Will our government print more money, causing massive inflation and making our personal income and assets worth a fraction of current values?

This country runs on energy we get from oil, gas, coal, nuclear plants and dams. We have more oil, gas and coal combined than any country in the world, but we are buying massive amounts of oil from very unfriendly countries. Meanwhile, our government is obsessed with ethanol, solar and wind power, which cannot possibly supply even a fraction of the energy we need. That is insane.

How about public education? Our students are being left behind by other countries.

Real unemployment exceeds 14 percent. Twenty percent of the population is totally dependent on government handouts. America is a nation in decline; if Obamacare survives, it will depress our economy beyond belief. It is a sad, sorry state of the union. Who can save us? Only the Congress, but unfortunately its members are obsessed with re-election and are spending money we do not have.

We must demand that Congress, especially the House of Representatives, commits to limiting the president's spending authority. Spending must be cut in real terms — not by the usual phony 10-year projections that never happen.

John F. Brinson, who lives in Weisenberg Township, is chairman of the Lehigh Valley Tax Limitation Committee.